Davis Langdon estimates that for QSs, the industry bill could reach 拢82m for training

QS firms may be expected to pay 拢2,000 per employee to meet the training costs of moving to building information modelling, according to industry estimates.

The estimate, from Davis Langdon, comes amid fears over the upfront cost to the industry of complying with the government鈥檚 four-year deadline to get to grips with the technology.

Last week Paul Morrell, chief construction adviser, said that all government contracts would have to use building information modelling (BIM) by 2015, a move he says will save the industry money in the medium term.

Erland Rendall, head of global thought leadership at Davis Langdon, estimated that all QSs would need a minimum of one day鈥檚 training, plus about 拢1,000 in software, to get to an 鈥渋ntermediate鈥� level of BIM proficiency, coming to a cost of 拢1,800-拢2,000 for each employee.

In addition, about one in 20 employees would need extra training to become 鈥渟uper users鈥� so they could help colleagues, costing about 拢5,000.

鈥淭his is like the move from fax to email,鈥� Rendall said, adding that Davis Langdon would probably gain a return on investing in BIM in two to three years鈥� time.

With 40,000 RICS-accredited QSs in the country, this could mean an industry bill of up to 拢82m.

If similar BIM training is required of the roughly 150,000 construction consultants - planners, architects, engineers, and project managers - who are involved in the design and planning process, then the total could hit 拢300m.

Peter O鈥機onnell, policy manager at the Federation of Master Builders, said 鈥淩equiring BIM on smaller projects risks increasing barriers and access to public sector contracts.鈥�

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